


First Steps to Recovering Her

by Merfilly



Series: Safehaven [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi, Padmé Amidala Lives, and more clones live, so does Shaak Ti
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 05:32:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7878415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two Togruta, seven clones, and a pair of twins plus Gungans.</p><p>Or a new variation on Padmé lives and the Empire is going to be kriffed eventually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Steps to Recovering Her

Luke tumbled through the shield laughing, followed by Leia in the next moment. Their guardian of the day, Peppi Bow, followed with muttered imprecations about herding shaak being easier. Which only made them giggle more as the imposing Jedi Shaak Ti was waiting for them.

"Up to mischief again, my little ones?" Shaak asked, even as she gave Peppi a nod of appreciation for her aid. Having to remain hidden was so hard on them all, but they had tried to normalize the twins' lives as much as possible.

"Buir-Shaak, we swam along the crest of one of the big ones!" Leia told her.

"She said thank you for the scratches! But Peppi didn't believe we were safe!" Luke added.

"Not everyone can hear them as we do," Shaak reminded even as she hugged the small humans against her legs. "Buir-Soka is waiting to give lessons today, precious ones. Let us go."

"Yes! Lessons!" Leia took off running for their quarters, her brother giving chase. Fortunately, the citizens they dodged around were as indulgent as the Jedi following them. These were the children of their legendary and beloved Amidala. For her, Gungan City had accepted the two children and their guardians. For Amidala, they risked defying the Empire.

Shaak entered the quarters in time to see the twins bowl Ahsoka Tano over, making the young Knight laugh and hold them close. Shaak sometimes worried that their exile was hardest on her young companion but moments like this reassured her. Ahsoka was fiercely devoted to the twins and to their mother.

Padmé Amidala was in a stasis pod even now. Every attempt to use Jedi healing on her had failed so far. Ahsoka, when not teaching her padawan classes, was often to be found trying to undo the connection between the frozen human and the Sith whose life drained away Padmé's energy if she came up from stasis.

Shaak let their Gungan student, Roo Roo Page, in after a moment, and settled to listen and help as Ahsoka walked her students through a shielding lesson. These, almost more than the lightsaber lessons, were vital to the younglings' survival.

+++

Echo drew back away from the HoloNet stream he had been monitoring as Shaak-Ti entered their part of the quarters, to see if she needed his attention. He followed her eyes to where Fives was sleeping in a blanket nest that had made use of every single blanket… and possibly one of Shaak's rarely used Jedi cloaks.

"Still feverish?"

"Yes. Kix says it should pass soon, though."

"Good. Leia is still upset she got him ill." Shaak came over to Echo, running her hand over his hair tenderly. "Any luck learning more of others out there?"

"Tracing a few likely leads. I believe I may have discovered remnants of the 104th out toward Seelos. At least the traces are consistent with Commander Wolffe's behaviors. As to other Jedi, I cannot say that I have found evidence yet."

Shaak sighed softly. She had worked her way through that turbulent night, escaping minutes ahead of the Temple invasion, joining Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan. Ahsoka had come later, in a state of shock from injured lekku and broken tip of her montral, escorted by several members of Torrent. When Obi-Wan had returned from bracing Darth Vader, as the Chosen One had come to be called, the care of Amidala and her babies had been given to Shaak Ti, and the two men had gone their own way. 

Ahsoka and her men, all sporting scars along their scalps, had designated themselves Shaak Ti's honor guard. And it had been Captain Rex who had negotiated their current situation with Representative Binks.

When it came down to it, Shaak could not think of who else might have escaped. Obi-Wan had confided that his own Commander had tried to kill him, and that had taken away most of their hope that others might have evaded the order that caused the death of the Jedi.

It haunted Torrent, sometimes, Shaak knew, that they were free. The ultra-secret mission they had been on, escorting the supposedly disgraced Ahsoka Tano, had both protected them and revealed the danger to the Knight in time to save her, and them. They just had not returned swiftly enough to save the rest. That the mission had been retrieving Echo was only a small comfort to them in the face of losing so many brothers.

"Shaak?" Echo called, telling her she had slipped too far into her ruminations.

"Yes, _ner'vod_?"

"There will be an Imperial tour of Theed soon," he reminded. "Have you considered what we will need to do to protect the _ade_?"

Shaak Ti smiled, and it was a hunter's smile. "That depends entirely on who they send. Your Commander and I have toyed with various possibilities."

"Very well; I will concentrate on learning who will be in that party." Echo pressed into her hand on his hair once more, before giving himself back to analyzing the data feed coming out of the Empire. Shaak let him work, going to the blanket nest to check on Fives. He was resting better, his face smoother in sleep than it was by day, reassuring her. This pair had claimed her heart more fully than she had allowed any other in so long, with their devotion to one another, and need to care for her.

Long gone were the days of non-Attachment. Shaak Ti could not deny that she felt less adrift than ever, to have their comforting presences locked into her awareness at all times. 

+++

"Echo wants to know our plan for the upcoming Imperial tour," Rex said, keeping his voice low so that neither twin in the next room would wake. Ahsoka stopped in the process of working oil into her skin, a necessary thing when the constant damp had proven difficult for her to adapt to.

"Tell him we're going to lie low." She gave the bottle to him, so he could work the skin she could not reach.

"Are we?" he asked, before moving to do as she wanted, still amazed that this was his life, that she trusted him to touch her and care for her. 

"Most of us." That answer didn't set well with Rex, and he made a noise that indicated it. Ahsoka relented with a sigh. "If it is the _Exactor_ that brings the tour, I plan to try and sneak aboard."

"Have you lost your mind?"

The polite question made her giggle. "Okay, you and I plan to sneak aboard then."

"Much better. I'll give command to Fives that morning. What are you planning from there?"

"A heart to heart with Vader, actually," she said. "It would be easier if he would come to the surface, but I am almost one hundred percent certain he won't. So, I have to get to him."

"You read Kenobi's and Yoda's and Ti's report; the General is not himself at all." He looked at her in the mirror, seeing the way her marking above one eye had risen. "You have a plan about that."

"It's one reason I wish you'd stay here, to be honest, Rex." She continued working the oil into her arm then, while his hands moved over her back. "I'm betting on a little honesty going a very long way toward breaking that. But, if I'm wrong… we're dead."

"Won't the _ade_ be in danger of discovery?"

"Shaak will be moving them and our people to one of the deep cities as soon as the tour is en route for the ship."

Rex considered that. "Makes sense. But you're space-mad, if you think I'm not sharing the danger on this one."

"I hear you loud and clear, Captain," she told him, a promise not to evade him for this mission. He nodded to the reflection, then turned the oiling massage from her back to her lek, intent on taking advantage of their wards being fast asleep in their room.

**Author's Note:**

> buir - parent  
> ner'vod - my sibling  
> ade - children


End file.
